The Festival of Trees at the Berkshire Museum in downtown Pittsfield, MA, is a holiday tradition, celebrating it’s 25th year. What started as a week-long event with a few trees is now a seasonal event featuring more than 200 decorated trees on display.

Each year, the Berkshire Museum decks the galleries with festive trees decorated by community organizations, businesses, and school children. This year, to mark the Festival’s Silver Anniversary, the trees have been inspired by the theme Silver Bells.

It’s a winter wonderland that will delight the entire family!

The Festival of Trees runs from November 13 to January 3, 2010.

Hours:
Mon-Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
Close at 2 p.m. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Admission:
$12 adults ($6 members), $6 children 3-18 ($3 members).

Do you have an event that you would like listed on ColumbiaCountyCurrent.com? Please email info to me at jeff@columbiacountycurrent.com.

Our Main Reading Room hosts the Conte Community School story quilt, a collaborative project of Conte 1st and 3rd graders. Using donated fabric from pants, shirts, pjs, etc. students created quilt squares based on Faith Ringgold’s book, Tar Beach. Guidance provided by Mrs D’Anniello, Art Teacher. Lovely quilt!

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I can’t make up my mind about the Beck. Sometimes I like him, sometimes he gets on my nerves. And when “Loser” first came out, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard, and that this Beck character would be a total flash in the pan.

He proved me wrong on the second count, of course, and has had some records I’ve really liked. And “Loser” actually really grew on me, years after its release. Twee lyrics, but ga-roooovy.

Also? When I was in grad school I ended up attaching theme songs to everything I read/taught/researched. This wasn’t a deliberate project, just the result of the screwy workings of my brain. When I was about to take my orals, I realized that a Sinead O’Connor song basically explained my history arguments; a chapter in my dissertation was titled after the song “Sisters” that Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen sing in White Christmas.

Another chapter’s theme song was, in fact, “Loser.” The song is perfect for the main character in Herman Melville’s novel Pierre, and as soon as I realized this I could not read or write about the book without hearing it in my head. It is PERFECT, I tell you! And you will have to take my word on that, because unless you have been in one of my classes, there is no way you have read the book, which is a sort of gorgeous rococo disaster. The “you can’t write if you can’t relate” line gets right at the heart of the novel (or at least my take on it).

I bet Beck and Melville would have gotten along splendidly. They could have gotten stoned together and commiserated about how the masses just didn’t get them. And then Herman would have decided he hearted Beck, and freaked Beck out with the intensity of his crush, and Beck would have been all “Dude, go back to Pittsfield, leave me the flock alone” and Herman would have been devasted but would have continued to send Beck florid mash notes that would have one day ended up in a Norton anthology.

That would have been awesome.

I had to write some Top 10 jokes for a project I’m working on (entitled, “leaving finance”), so here they are!  Also, a reader asked for more accounting jokes, so I included my Top 10 accountant pickup lines as well.  Please let me know if you attempt them, as I would like to chart out the success rate in a spreadsheet.  I’m forecasting zeros, but you never know.

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Top 10 Signs You Should Get a New Job

10. Your boss calls you “Employee #243.”

9. When you finally leave at 9PM after twelve hours in the office, your co-worker asks, “Taking a half day?”

8. Bonuses are taxed at 40% and paid out in Venezuelan bolivars.

7. All your office supplies are chained to the desk.

6. The CEO makes decisions about layoffs with a Ouija board and a Magic 8 ball.

5. Employees have the option of trading in company shares for a bag of Skittles.

4. The healthcare plan only covers visits to witch doctors and accredited shamans.

3. Company memos include the following disclaimer: “We are not responsible for asbestos-related illnesses.”

2. Your office is in Pittsfield, MA.

1. The 20-year anniversary gift is a shotgun.

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Top 10 Pickup Lines Used By Accountants

10. Your body is like the perfect balance sheet, except that you have no liabilities.

9. You’re just like revenue… I don’t want to defer you any longer.

8. If I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put U and I near Enron, so we could take it down together.

7. My job is to tell clients that they can’t spend money.  Lucky for you, I don’t work for myself.

6. Hey baby… Did you know that consolidated entities get significant tax breaks?

5. I’ll work you over like the buttons on my calculator.  I hit ‘em hard and  I hit ‘em quick, and I always get the right answer.

4. I don’t care if you’re rich or poor, because I will make your cash flow.

3. I have incredibly liquid assets right now, and they’re dying to get a good return.

2. Want to come back to my place and work on Sexcel?

1. Sales aren’t the only thing rising today.

I Twittered this earlier, but it certainly bares repeating.  The Berkshire Eagle has finally decided to cover our budget cuts, and our hours reduction in particular.  Although as a commenter points out, the article never mentions what that reduction is (a gold star to the commenter who guessed we’ll be closing at 5, albeit only on Mondays).

So there it is, read the comments, and puzzle over why exactly someone thinks we should start selling lottery tickets.

The word is finally out.  In a report in the Boston Globe, nine Massachusetts libraries have been decertified by the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners due to the recession (four were named in an earlier article).  In Mass. decertification means that those libraries are inelligble for state aid and for membership in the regional resource sharing consortia.  It is also highly suggested that other libraries refuse to issue library cards to residents of decertified communities.

Before continuing, I think a moment of silence for the fallen is in order:

• Bridgewater
• Fitchburg
• Freetown
• Hubbardston 
• Medway
• Northbridge
• Norton
• Saugus
• Wareham

Besides these communities there are also two long standing one, Hancock was decertified back in 1975, and Tyringham’s decertification goes all the way back to 1961.  Then there are also the handful of towns that have simply never had a library.  These last two categories are the ones that give us pause at my own library.

I’m a supporter of the decertification blacklist, it gives an incredible incentive for municipalities to want to fund their libraries, some of which (I’m looking at you Fitchburg) really need the kick in the teeth.  However, my library is uniquely situated right by both Tyringham and Hancock, as well as 2 more towns that simply don’t have libraries.  We’re also often thought of us a county library, although we’re not (this is why our website is pittsfieldlibrary.org and all our stationary strongly proclaims us to be Pittsfield’s public library).  But as the largest library in the region we sort of are by default, and we still receive many patrons from these neighboring towns who have always considered us to be their library.

Turning away a patron from a town that has never had a library is very different to doing so to one from a city that thought it could cut 68% of the budget without repercussions.   And unfortunately the way the system is built refusing service to decertified communities really has to be an all or nothing prospect.  But by and large libraries across the state have shown a lot of solidarity on this issue, and the blacklist has remained.  This is probably as it should be, but it does leave a few towns unfortunately screwed, and they will stay screwed even when the economy turns around and budgets start increasing again (so I’m an optimist).

By: Michael Radomski

July 30, 2009

(PITTSFIELD, MA) – Wahconah Park is one of the oldest and most historic baseball stadiums in America. Fans have seen organized baseball on this site since 1892 and have witnessed future major leaguers in their prime on the way to the Major Leagues.

Hall of famer Carlton Fisk played at Wahconah Park in 1969 for the Red Sox minor league affiliate and future hall of famer Greg Maddux did the same for the Cubs in 1986.

The ballpark has also seen many famous visiting players as well, but now Wahconah Park is making history with a few new visitors.

What once was a touristic attraction for many sports fans, has now turned into a tourist attraction for water sports.  

Wahconah Park has turned into the eighth wonder of the world and possibly the sixth ocean on the atlas following a torrential rainstorm last night that left the park underwater.

Players John Andreoli (UCONN) and Kevin Burk (Univ of Kansas) pose in front of the famous Wahconah Park entrance sign.

Pittsfield assistant coach Bob Warn points to some visitors on surf boards.

The field is currently used by the Pittsfield American Defenders of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), who have occupied Wahconah Park since 2004.

Players and coaches stopped by the field today to truly witness the situation. The team was away yesterday in Vermont for a road game and arrived back to a flooding parking lot. Shortstop Zach Williams (Judson Univ) stepped off the bus last night to his car tires sitting in the rising waters.

Most players saw it as just another night as the parking lot flooded for the 6^th time this summer season. But the players, coaches and townspeople woke up to something this morning that they have never quite seen before.

By the time the morning came around, the water and the nearby Housatonic River started to overflow into the Wahconah Park clubhouse, field, and parking lot.

The driveway into the parking lot at Wahconah Park.

The river flows right beyond the outfield fences and sometimes overflows into the parking lot. The area now features water waist-high in some spots and as high as someone’s hip in others.

Many cars drove by to see what has become of Wahconah Park and some stopped by to bike, drive or even boat through the water.

A few daring fans were even courageous enough to paddle and trudge through the water to see the actual field.

The view at Wahconah Park from left field towards the home plate grandstand.

Most of the outfield is covered by water with just a small portion of grass still visible.  

The water ranges from foul pole to foul pole and is roughly three feet deep at the outfield fences.

The outfield fences also serve as a barrier from the water rising even higher.

The Pittsfield American Defenders have had a very wet 42-game season this year. The team has been rained out 11 different times, have been suspended by rain another 4 nights, and have even had to shorten games twice due to the rain.

Pittsfield general manager Jon Tosches looks out from the flooded concourse area into the nearby parking lot.

“It’s been a tough year,” said Pittsfield general manager Jon Tosches. “All of us are in our first year in town but the coaches, players, and front office have really rallied together this season.”

The team has been managed by Dr. Carroll Land this season along with assistant coaches Bob Warn and Ron Swen. All of the coaches come to Pittsfield from far distances.

Bob Warn is a Hall of Fame coach from Indiana State while both Ron Swen and Dr. Carroll Land come to Pittsfield from California. Land was the manager of Point Loma Nazarene from 1961 to 1999 and is also a Hall of Fame coach. He managed assistant coach Ron Swen at Point Loma and Swen has gone on to coach many traveling teams from California and top pitchers including Colby Lewis.

All three gentlemen never expected to see a season or a park quite like this one. 

The players also come from all over the country to play baseball in Pittsfield. The NECBL provides college student athletes the opportunity to enhance their skills over the summer before arriving back to their college teams in the fall.

Kevin Burk, a right-handed pitcher and freshman from the University of Kansas, arrived at the park this afternoon in shock.  

“You come out here and know that the Northeast is known for some rain, but not this much,” said Burk. “It was pretty bizarre seeing a lake, a flooded field and a flooded locker room when I pulled up.”

Teammate John Andreoli, a first baseman and outfielder from UCONN also showed up and couldn’t believe it.

“We were lucky to not have this happen to us in June,” said Andreoli, a freshman from UCONN. “It felt like you were at an ocean and not at the park. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

John Andreoli and Kevin Burk take in the moment by swimming near a park bench.

Andreoli also mentioned that some of the players planned to go to the lake on the off day but decided to stop by the park instead.

Pittsfield did have an off day on Thursday when the high amounts of water were discovered. The American Defenders are scheduled to play at Wahconah Park on Friday night in a doubleheader matchup against the Danbury Westerners.

Tomorrow is the last day of the regular season and Pittsfield is now forced to move to nearby Clapp Park to play Danbury.

The American Defenders and Westerners also must move up the game to one o’clock since Clapp Park does not have the lights quite like Pittsfield’s normal home park.

Wahconah Park was constructed back in 1919 and is starting to gain a lot of attention for the rain that has fallen lately.

Pittsfield and Vermont played a game earlier in the year on June 27^th that featured a lightning delay, a rain delay, and a sun delay. Wahconah Park was built facing west and is unique for having sun delays in the middle of play.

Games are routinely stopped in the middle of action as the sun blinds the hitter, catcher, and umpire from center field.

Wahconah Park and Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield, CA are the only two fields in America that are still in use that have sun delays.

Games in Bakersfield start at around eight o’clock to avoid the sun delays all together while Pittsfield American Defenders games start at 6:35 PM. Typically games will be delayed in the third inning and can take anywhere from five to thirty-five minutes.

Wahconah Park faced even faced an uncertain future earlier this decade with the possibility for a new minor league facility.  However, those plans fell through and Wahconah Park continued to see games played on its site.

Pittsfield owner Dan Duquette brought an NECBL franchise here to Pittsfield in 2005 where the team has been ever since.

For now, Wahconah Park remains under water and adds another piece of nostalgic history to its already impressive resume.

There is a plaque on the Wahconah Park walls to remember the first ever college baseball game that was played between Amherst and Williams College back in 1859.

There may need to be a new plaque put up to remember the great Wahconah Park Flood of 2009, but those who experienced it may need not a sign to remember it. They have the images to recall July 30^th, 2009 for the rest of their lives.

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Mike is in his second season with the Pittsfield franchise as the director of broadcasting and media relations. He does the play by play radio call for the team and takes care of all media requests as well. Mike is entering his senior year at Quinnipiac University where he is studying broadcast journalism.

From the NYT: “Surviving the Death Race,” a 24-hour “adventure race through mental and physical Hell” staged in Pittsfield, Vermont.

 This is my sister’s dog Lucky!!!  Lucky normally doesn’t have too much energy but for some reason this day- she had a ton!  We fed her so many dog treats to get these pictures.  They turned out great!  Good job Lucky:).  I think she slept a long time after this mini shoot I took with her:).

Tonight at 7 at the Berkshire Athenaeum, I’ll be talking about the current state of video games, and what they have to offer libraries.  Tonight is also the first of Pittsfield’s 3rd Thursdays for the year.

So for everyone in the Berkshires, forget about spending the evening enjoying the gorgeous weather, the live performances, and supporting the local economy downtown.  Who needs that when you can listen to a fine talk on why video games matter, and then try out the library’s Wii for yourself.  All sponsored by the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum.

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